The Changing Realm of Latin Jazz

Trumpet - When many people think about Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party comes up, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is actually taking care of of this style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people on the dance floor for many years with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, however a growing variety of artists have abandoned the party area for various cultural and artistic influences. These days, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from a broader spectrum of the Caribbean and South America, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Trumpet - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played most within the growth of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles just like the festejo and landó in to the style also a far more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria is promoting a distinctive approach along with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it has only been that artists have put a distinct emphasis upon the concept of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez provides his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs as a foundation for jazz.

Argentina happens to be known for it's passionate tango, and lots of musicians have discovered that music is really a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has built a unique language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler continues the job of influential composer Astor Piazzolla using a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often take into account the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim after they look at the blend of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, nevertheless the style is continuing to grow into something far more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has produced upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and developed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the freedom behind a New York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Chris Botti - The oasis is obviously still an integral part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the music of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo to get a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The design and style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting a far more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and giving listeners a more diverse experience.